Concealed fastening for seat ends



Dec. 31, 1968 5, WAY ET AL CONCEALED FASTENING FOR SEAT ENDS Filed NOV. 25, 1966 ATTORNEYS um M Q 5 W M mu mm 5 United States Patent 3,419,241 CONCEALED FASTENING FOR SEAT ENDS Douglas E. Way and Hammond A. Berry, Booneville, Miss., assignors to American Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich.,"a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 23, 1966, Ser. No. 596,578 4 Claims. (Cl. 248361) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pew has an end panel resting upon the floor and having a pair of vertical passages receiving upright blades secured to the floor and provided with vertical slots. In the panel there is a transverse key slot extending through the vertical passages and preferably through the panel and tapered wedges extend through each end of the slot and engage the slots of the blades. The panel is provided with a base of reduced cross section with the upper panel portion extending over and partially concealing the ends of the key slot.

This invention relates to concealed fastening for seat ends, and more particularly to fastenings for pews, benches or seat structures having panel ends resting on the floor.

Exposed floor fastenings for pews, benches or other seats are not only unsightly but interfere with the use of vacuum cleaners and cleaning implements. However, at the same time, a problem is presented in that floors are often slightly uneven, and it is of great importance to anchor the pew ends, etc., firmly against the floor.

An object of the present invention is to provide secure fastening means while at the same time concealing the means within the pew or seat ends. A still further object is to provide such fastening means mainly within the interior of the seat ends while at the same time permitting removal of such fastening means when necessary. Yet another object is to provide fastening means anchored to the floor and received within openings within the pew or seat end base while providing intersecting slots in the base of the pew end panel and driven wedge means therein for rigidly wedging the panel against the floor. Other specific objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds.

The invention is shown, in an illustrative embodiment, by the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical wooden pew with floor length pew ends or panels; FIG. 2, a broken front edge view of the pew panel portion resting on the fioor; FIG. 3, a side view of the lower portion of the pew end or panel; FIG. 4, an exploded perspective view of the fastening means and a fragment of the pew end; and FIG. 5, a perspective view of the structure shown in FIG. 4 with the fastening means shown in assembled relation.

In the illustration given, designates a floor-held anchor having an angle portion 11 apertured to receive a bolt 12 which extends into the fioor. It will be understood that the fiange 11 may be secured to the floor by a wood screw, bolt, or other similar means, and in the case where the flange is secured to a concrete or stone fioor by the usual lead anchor or other device. The anchor 10 is provided with a vertically-extending blade 13 provided near its top with a vertical slot 14.

The pew or bench 15 is provided with ends or end panels 16, and each of the end panels is shown provided with a base 17 of reduced cross section. Each base 17 is provided with a vertical passage 18 for receiving the blade 13 of the floor fastener 10. In the structure shown, a recess 19 is formed in the lower portion of the base 17 ice at each end to receive the anchor flange 11. If the anchor member 10 should be secured within concrete or other structure without employing a flange 11 so that the only protruding portion is a blade 13, it will be understood that the recess 19 may be omitted and the recess 18 may simply be extended to the bottom of the base 17.

A large transverse slot or key slot 20 is formed in the upper portion of the base 17 and extends through the center of the passage 18, as shown best in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the lower edge of the slot providing a bearing surface 21.

While the panel 16 may be formed of one piece extending all the way to the floor and the openings 18 and 20 formed therein, we prefer to form the end panel of the pew, etc. in two pieces, with the base 17 drilled and milled separately to form the slots 18, 19 and 20 and then secured to the panel 16 by adhesive or other suitable means. There is the further advantage that in this procedure the base 17 can be formed in smaller cross section and with the upper edges of the larger panel 16 projecting over the base and partially concealing the key openings 20.

We prefer to form the keyhole slot or transverse slot 20 all the way through the base 17 so that two vertical passages 18 may be utilized for receiving two anchor blades 13, as shown best in FIG. 3.

For securing the base portion 17 tightly against the floor, we provide a wedge member 22 and insert the same through the opposite ends of the base 17 and within the slots 14 of the anchor blades 13, as shown best in FIG. 3. Each wedge 22 is provided with a horizontal lower surface adapted to engage the bearing surface 21 of the slot 20 and with an upper tapered edge 23 adapted to engage the upper edge of the slot 14 in blade 13. We provide the wedge member 22 with a raised head 24 provided with an undercut slot 25. The slot 25 provides a shoulder which may be engaged with a wire or drawbar (not shown) for removing the wedge. The raised head 24 of the wedge member 22 acts as a stop, contacting blade 13 if it is inserted to full depth so that the wedge cannot fall into the hole or recess 18.

Operation In the operation of the structure, two spaced fasteners 10 are secured to the floor by any suitable means and provide spaced upwardly-extending blades 13. The pew or seat is lifted to bring the end panels downwardly over the blades 13 so that they are received within passages 18 in the end panels. The wedges 22 are then driven through the opposite ends of key slot 20 to engage the slots 14 in each of the blades 13, thus pulling the end panel tightly against the floor. In this operation, the lower hori zontal surface of the wedge 22 slides along the bearing surface 21 of key slot 20 while the upper tapered sur face 23 engages the metal edge of the member 13 at the top of slot 14. If it should be desired to detach the seat from the fastening elements, this can be accomplished by the use of a wire or lever engaging slot 25 of the wedge head 24 to withdraw the wedge.

In the foregoing structure, the only visible evidence of the fastening means is the edges of slot 20 extending below the overhanging portion of end panel 16. At the same time, the small openings 20 permit ready removal of the wedges 22 when this is desired. By providing the two anchor blades 13 at the ends of the base 17 of each floor panel 16, it is found that the pew is firmly wedged against the floor in spite of small irregularities in the floor surface.

While in the foregoing specification, we have set out a specific structure in considerable detail for the purpose of illustrating the invention, it will be understood that such details may be varied Widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. In combination with a floor-held anchor having an upright blade provided with a vertical slot, a seat having an end panel resting upon the floor and having a vertical passage receiving said blade, said panel having a transverse key slot extending through said vertical passage, and a wedge having a lower edge bearing against the panel at the lower edge of said key slot and against the blade at the upper edge of said vertical slot for Wedging said panel against the floor, said panel being provided with a base of reduced cross section which is provided with said vertical passage and said transverse slot, the base being united to the upper panel structure with the upper panel structure extending over and partially concealing said key slot.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said key slot extends all the way through said panel from end-to-end.

3. In combination with a pair of spaced floor-held anchors having upright blades provided with vertical slots, a pew having an end panel resting upon the floor and having a pair of vertical passages receiving said blades, said panel having a transverse key slot extending through said vertical passages, and tapered wedges extending through each end of said transverse slot and engaging the References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 120,035 10/1871 Caswell. 311,854 2/1885 Roush 248-361 577,229 2/ 1897 Bosch 248188 1,605,945 11/ 1926 Hathorne 248361 2,525,008 10/ 1950 Zakariasen 248-361 2,973,982 3/1961 Elting et al. 248188 ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

R. P. SEITTER, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 28720.927 

